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National Register

National Park Service

National Register of Historic Places Program

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America's historic and archeological resources.

The New River Gorge Bridge is eligible for listing in the National Register at the National level of significance under Criterion C: Engineering as an exceptionally important engineering achievement. At time of construction, its arch made it the longest steel arch bridge in the world, a title it held until 2003 with the construction of Chinas Shanghais Lupu Bridge. It is currently the longest single-span steel arch bridge in the United States and the third highest bridge in the country. Though the bridge itself employs a fairly conventional design, its construction represents a number of construction achievements. The engineers and ironworkers overcame major obstacles due to its enormous scale and the then-remote Appalachian location. The period of significance under Criterion C is 1977, the year construction was complete. The New River Gorge Bridge is also eligible for listing at the local level under Criterion A: Transportation for the extremely important role it played in linking West Virginias Corridor L Communities with the rest of the state and providing a vital link in the states highway system, cutting off nearly 45 miles of travel. The period of significance is 1977 to c.1985, reflecting the initial period of rapid growth and development following the opening of the bridge. The bridge also meets Criteria Consideration G: Properties that have Achieved Significance Within the Last Fifty Years since it is of exceptional importance.

Properties are listed in the National Register of Historic Places under four criteria: A, B, C, and D. For information on what these criterion are and how they are applied, please see our Bulletin on How to Apply the National Register Criteria